There was a time when small businesses had multiple servers on premises, like an active directory server for accounts/authentication, a file server for storing data, a mail server for handling email and a local backup solution that was robust in theory. While this setup is still preferred by those who have high privacy and security requirements (think medical, legal or regulated organisations), most businesses, including mine, have moved to cloud solutions like Microsoft 365. I have found it to be feature rich, reliable, user friendly and easier to scale, effectively eliminating the nightmare that is hardware failures.
Basic Start
As a solopreneur trying to keep costs down, I started on Microsoft 365 Business Basic. It gave me professional email with my custom domain, Teams for client calls, SharePoint for storing company data, and OneDrive cloud storage – all affordable and honestly everything I needed when I was getting Mustard Seed IT off the ground. I genuinely didn’t think I needed the more expensive Business Premium option. In hindsight, that was a pretty naïve assumption.
Naturally, I recommended the same plan to clients in similar situations. I patched together robust third-party solutions for backup and security because that felt like the smart, frugal way to go. It worked, but it was clunky and took way more time to manage than it should have. Looking back, I could have made life so much easier for myself – and my clients – if I’d challenged that “keep operating expenses lean” mindset a bit sooner.
Premium Switch
I had the chance to attend a two-day information session on Microsoft 365 Business Premium, and boy, was that an eye-opener. Business Basic is great for the absolute basics, but it lacked built-in advanced threat protection, device management with Intune, and a whole lot of other benefits that suddenly made perfect sense.
I upgraded to Microsoft 365 Business Premium right there during the session! The switch was seamless – no big migration headaches – and the immediate benefits were huge:
- Entra ID for smarter access controls
- Built-in security like Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Intune for easy device management
- Full desktop versions of the Office suite
Yes, the cost was higher, but it was nothing compared to the added peace of mind. No more piecing together third-party tools that were isolated from each other – everything is integrated, always up to date, and the complexity dropped dramatically. I was able to spend more time on building my business and serving my clients, instead of wrestling with the tech stack.
My Recommendation
Whether you’re a solopreneur (like me) or running a small business with 5 to 10 people (like my clients), Microsoft 365 Business Premium is ideal. It supports up to 300 users, so there’s no need to worry about outgrowing it as your team expands.
I’ve moved all my clients to Business Premium with zero disruption. They now get more done, enjoy stronger built-in protection, and I can support them more effectively without the old headaches.
If you’re looking for a solution that lets you collaborate securely with your team and customers, protects your business data, and takes the worry out of cyberthreats, device management and ongoing IT admin, then Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the logical next step.
Whether you’re starting with Microsoft 365 or thinking about upgrading to Business Premium, I’m here to help. I invite you to book a no-obligation discovery call so I can understand your setup and give practical advice tailored to your business.
Happy New Year!